League of Legends LCK teams are usually considered the very best. We’re diving into the LCK 2017 Summer Playoffs and bringing you all the highs and lows of the Korean scene.

LCK 2017 Summer Playoffs Round 2

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SKT Telecom T1

If you are new to the League of Legends scene then you can be forgiven for not knowing who SKT Telecom T1 is. If you’ve been around a while and you still don’t know, then where the heck have you been? Hiding your head under a rock?

They’ve won the World Championship 3 times and have done just as well in the Korean League. They have, potentially, the most recognizable name in the sport, Faker. Chances are you’ve been trolled by someone in ranked play, who’s pulled off an awesome move and pretended to be Faker.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung doesn’t have quite the same historical pedigree as SKT, but they were runner ups in the 2016 World Championship. They were also second in the LCK Spring Split and third in the Summer Split. They’re no push overs.

This years’ LCK 2017 Summer playoffs pits Samsung Galaxy and SKT Telecom against one another and we’re here to bring you the detailed results.

Round 2 Game 1

The first game was a pretty dominant display by the 2016 world champions, and they never really looked like losing. Securing a Cloud Dragon kill before the 13-minute mark cemented SKT’s lead and from that point onward they never looked back.

Samsung Galaxy literally destroyed 0 objectives, not even one tower. It was Bang’s Kalista who steam rolled the game, collecting 7 kills and 2 assists along the way. Lest you think it was all about him, don’t. It was a team effort, as shown by only 2 deaths and with Wolf also gaining 8 assists.

The game finished in 32 minutes with 67k gold to 48.9k, and Bang’s Kalista managing over 240k of damage. On to game 2 where Samsung hoped to have a better showing.

Round 2 Game 2

Samsung really needed a win to keep their hopes in the LCK 2017 summer playoffs alive. This nearly 50-minute game was a lot closer. Samsung looked like they had it in the bag before a 36-minute team fight changed the game.

SKT took advantage of the fight to gain a hard fought Baron, and double kill on Kalista helped them secure another Baron later, before riding that high to victory.

SKT finished the game with 93k gold to 86k – which is hardly any gap at all after 50 minutes. Bang again played almost perfectly, finishing 8/1/6 which was exactly what he needed to do.

SSG’s Ruler was shut down and could never get the ball rolling. His late game hyper carry Tristana finished with just 2 kills. Wolf managed to sneak a kill on his 1/1/12 Taric and SKT went into the third game with everything under control.

Round 2 Game 3

If Samsung were desperate before then nothing short of a victory would forestall the seemingly inevitable loss. The first 20 minutes were among the closest ever played. SKT T1 were ahead by a mere 257 gold at the 20-minute mark.

Two early Infernal Drakes probably decided the game for SKT who took advantage of the additional power to slowly take objective after objective away from Samsung. It wasn’t until the 29 minute Baron fight that the game was finally put out of reach. SKT took just another 2 minutes to secure it.

If Faker’s KDA had seemed to take a hit in the previous 2 games, he made sure to turn it up a notch in the third. He finished 9/1/2 on a mid lane Lucian and SKT Telecom can now look forward to a third round series playoff against kt Rolster on Saturday, August 19th.

LCK 2017 Summer Playoffs Round 3

SKT T1

kt Rolster vs SKT Telecom T1

This one has it all. An intense rivalry, a desire to win and some of the very best players the LCK has to offer. Rolster will need to be on form if they wish to defeat an SKT who looked absolutely dominant in round 2.

Who are kt Rolster?

kt Rolster are long term rivals of SKT Telecom T1. They knocked SKT out of the 2016 summer split playoffs, but have no first place finishes to their name. There’s only a long line of second places that they are hoping to see a change in this year.

The winners of this matchup will go to play Longzhu Gaming in the playoffs finals. There’s just a best of 5 series standing between these two teams and glory.

Round 3 Who’s Who

The top lane will see Smeb face off against Huni/Untara. Huni has a less than 50% win ratio in the Summer Split while Untara is sitting pretty at 76%. Contrast this with a 66% win ration for Smeb and it may very well come down which top laner stars which game for SKT.

The jungle will be a rumble of strategy and wills with Score vs Peanut. Score enjoys a 71% kill participation rate for his team and is usually ahead of the other teams jungler in experience and gold at the 10-minute mark. Peanut has a slightly lower kill participation rate, at 65% and is slightly behind at the 10-minute mark. The early game could be a decider.

The mid lane features Pawn vs Faker. Pawn has a higher kill, assist and kill participation rate than Faker. His deaths are also lower. This is a lane to watch. If Pawn can get the upper hand maybe he can help his team to an upset victory.

The bottom lane is Deft and Mata on one side vs Wolf and Bang on the other. These lanes are really close statistically. Deft has more kills, but Bang has less deaths. Both are used to edging their lane by the 10-minute mark, and both know how to play the ADC role to perfection. If one of these sides gains the upper hand in bot lane you can expect to see it translated into a team victory.

LCK 2017 Summer Playoffs Prediction

It’s a best of 5 and this is a series that could really go to all 5 games. Both teams have a large fan base and plenty of players who can turn the game around. They are both also about team work more than any individual, and they’re not afraid to share the lime light. This speaks well of Rolster and SKT.

In the end, only one team can win it, and the bookies have SKT T1 winning this round.